Method of treating plants



United States Patent 2,708,624 METHOD or TREATING PLANTS 1 2,708,624 lntented May 17, 1955 ICC a suitable contact with the storage organs. Mists of the compounds may also be used. The storage organs may be coated with solutions, emulsions, or powdered carriers of the compounds. It is usually advisable to permit a H 5 suificicnt entrance of oxygen, preferably in' the form o f Frank Earl Denny, Yonkers, N. Y., assignor to Boyce i to t e edntainerte pp the oxygen needed for Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Inc., a corporespiratiorl. ration of New York 1 In the treatment of potatoes, the'maximum'amount of compound needed to retard sprouting is about 1 gram No gfi g g gg ggg 1952 for each kilogram of potatoes. Good results have been obtained, however, with from A to $5 of that amount. 4 Claims. (Cl. 71-2-6) In the application of the invention to woody plants, I may, for example, apply certain of the compounds to the twigs early in the spring, more especially during This invention relates to the control of plant growth dormancy. and bring about a retardation of the opening and, more particularly, to the application of certain of the buds a P y from 5 I0 y organic compounds to plants to control the growth of A! the end f that Perlod the buds p and continue new tissue. The invention is applicable to the treatment development 111 a normal heal normal Iate- In Other of such storage organs as tubers, roots and bulbs, and Words, in accordance Yvith h method of y invention, Woody plants, grasses, and related plants, during dor- 20 I y delay the budding wlthout serious j y if y mancy or as the new tissue emerges from dormancy. to the buds and then P normal development to I have discovered a class of phenolic ether compounds Occhrthat have the specific property of delaying or inhibiting The mp n y be applied to the woody plants the growth of new plant tissue, and my invention provides as p p y (1153- Solutions o the Compounds an improved method of delaying the growth of such new in water or organic solvents such as acetone may be aptissue by contacting the plants with one of the complied to the plants as sprays or the plants may be clipped pounds. The compounds which I use in carrying out the in such solutions. 5 method of my invention are phenolic ethers of the group In the application of the invention to daffodils or hyacohsishhg of P- P Y ether, vpr ptf cinths for example, one or more of the compounds may phenyl ether, o-nitroanisole, o-nltrophenetole, ethylambe applied to the young plants just as they appear above Sate and1S'eugenlmeth3'lethe the soil following a very mild winter, to hold back leaf The comPounds may be applied to the Plants development and thus allow flower stalk development to persed or dlluted forms such as vapors, sprays, or dusts, proceed at a re1ative1ygreaterrate and the Various other plants, notably the grasses used in lawns, 1h carryhg out a method of the hvehhhh the heat a may be treated to retard the growth, advantageously in meht of tubers Such as potames fox.- examp one or the manner described for woody plants. The compounds more of the compounds may be applled to the potatoes b d t th m h during dormancy in such a manner that the potatoes may 6 app 1e 0 e 0 h or to t e hewhssue to may be stored for relatively long periods without sfiroutcontrol the ghhwth of the hew h ing, or they may be applied in such manner as to retard 0 The fohowmg are exalhples luhstrahhg h sprouting only until the end of a desired dormant period, led out 1n accordance w th the nvention in whlch the leaving the tubers at the end of the period in condition p t were Immersed 1h Soluhohs of the compounds for sprouting as would be desirable in the case of tubers d r g October and the sprouting in soil was determined intended for planting stock. during the following January:

Gram oi Sprouting Compound Used hhveht for Eflect on Bud Growth Ph h t d per kg.oi compound in Soil, Potato Percent p-bromodlphenyl ether...- 1.0 Acetone... Inhibited completely.... 80.0 Do 0.5 do Inhibited almost com- 85.0

pletely (a few small 4: mopropyphenylether l 0 Inhi l hihe hompletely 60 0 7 Do 0:6 lnllaxllitletgi almost com 6020 593 932332392332: 5:2 assessing; 22:3

In applying the growth regulants to storage organs, a very efiective and presently preferred method is to place the storage organs in a confined space such as a bag, box, barrel, or room, and place therein a growth regulant compound of the aforementioned group in such manner and under such conditions that the vapors contact the storage organs. The compound may be incorporated in pieces of paper or other fibrous carrier material, or mixed with inert powder such as talc or other carrier media, and the same placed in the container whereby the resulting vapors permeate the container and contact the storage organs. In the case of large containers, such as warehouses, the compound may be vaporized by heating and the air laden vapors circulated with fans to eifect One and three per cent solutions of each of the compounds of the invention were applied to the buds of althaea cuttings and the cut ends were immersed in water. In each instance, the buds were retarded in comparison with control cutting not treated with the compounds.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial Number 95,385, filed May 25, 1949, and now abandoned.

I claim:

1. The method of retarding the growth of plants which comprises contacting the plant while in at least a partial dormant state with a compound of the group consisting of p-bromodiphenyl ether, 'y-bromopropyl phenyl ether, o-nitroanisole, o-nit-rophenetole, ethyl anisate, and isoeugenol methyl ether in such concentration that the 4. In the method of claim 2, applying the compound growth of the plants is effectively retarded." while in a dispersed form.

2. The method of retarding the sprouting of tubers f and bulbs which comprises contacting the. tubers and bulbs References Ci d in the file of this patent while in a dormant state with from 0.1 to 1.0 g. per kg.

of tubers of a compound of the group consisting of UNITED STATES PATENTS p-bromodiphenyl ether, v-bromopropyl phenyl ether, 2,394,916 Jones Feb. 12, 1946 o-nitroanisole, o-nitrophenetole, ethyl anisate, and isoi eugenol methyl ether. HE R E NCES In the method of Claim 1, Pp y the G P 10 Proc. Amer. Soc. Horticultural Science, vol. 35 (1938),

While in a dispersed form. pages 43 to 442 

1. THE METHOD OF RETARDING THE GROWTH PLANTS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE PLANT WHILE IN AT LEAST A PARTIAL DORMANT STATE WITH A COMPOUND OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF P-BROMODIPHENYL ETHER, Y-BROMOPROPYL PHENYL ETHER, O-NITROANISOLE, O-NITROPHENETOLE, ETHYL ANISATE, AND ISOEUGENOL METHYL ETHER IN SUCH CONCENTRATION THAT THE GROWTH OF THE PLANTS IS EFFECTIVELY RETARDED. 